Device for holding together a bundle of paper sheets



A ril 14, 1970 I P. 5. NES 3,506,371

DEVICE FOR HOLDING TOGETHER A BUNDLER OF PAPER SHEETS Filed Dec. 4, 1968 IN VEN TOR.

far-Sigurd Nes Y as 1mm, Dorh Gahmn.

Affo -neys United States Patent 3,506,371 DEVICE FOR HOLDING TOGETHER A BUNDLE OF PAPER SHEETS Per Sigurd Nes, Akerbyvagen 308, Taby, Sweden Filed Dec. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 781,129 Claims priority, application Sweden, Dec. 5, 1967,

16,694/ 67 Int. Cl. 1342f 13/36 US. Cl. 40263 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE As shown in FIG. 2 in the enclosed drawing the stem portion 7 of the pin 3 has been snappedthrough opening 11 between the ends of the slit ring member of the clip 4 into the locking position shown. Simultaneously, the annular collar 8 has been passed over two abutment portions 22 at the ends of the legs of the slit ring member 10. When the pin 3 is inserted through registering holes in a bundle of paper sheets'l, the pressure from the bundle against the clip will hold the collar 8 against the end surface 20 of the ring 10 and in this position the abutment portions 22 will form auxiliary stop means for retaining the clip in locking position.

The present invention relates to a device for holding together a bundle of paper sheets comprising a headed pin to be passed through registering holes in the paper sheets, said pin being provided with a plurality of annular collars which are uniformly spaced along the cylindrical stern portion of the pin and form abutments for a locking clip of plastic material detachably fittable on said pin. Such devices are used to clamp a bundle of file papers between the clip, and the head of the pin.

In known devices of this type a ring-shaped washer made of a flexible plastic material has been used to form a stop member on the pin. The central opening of the washer has a relatively thin flexible edge on a smaller diameter than the annular collars. The Washer is mounted by forcing it onto and along the pin. This is made possible by the thin edge moving resiliently rearwards and sliding over the collars on the pin. When the washer is released the thin edge springs in between two collars. The axial force which the washer is able to take up, however, is relatively small and has in certain instances been found unsatisfactory in practice when used to hold together thick bundles of papers which are liable to be subjected to rough handling. Furthermore the task of mounting the washer is relatively tiresome and troublesome sincs the washer must be forced over a number of collars before it reaches locking position. This task becomes even more perceptible when a plurality of paper sheet bundles are to be removed from files and fastened each with pins and washers.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device which with a relatively small force and simple manipulation can be caused to adopt a locking position in which the locking can take up appreciably greater axial forces than is possible in the aforementioned known device. Furthermore the novel device shall also be suited for manufacture by the injection moulding of plastic materials.

The novel device of the invention is mainly characterized by the features set forth in the annexed claims.

According to the invention a double locking action is obtained partly as a result of the effect caused by the stem snapping into a clamping ring, and partly because abutment portions form stop members for the adjacent collar.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

3,506,371 Patented Apr. 14, 1970 FIG. 1 is a plan view of the locking clip with the securing pin indicated by dotted lines in its two end positions,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the locking clip with the securing pin in locking position, and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of half of the locking clip shown in FIG. 2.

Shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2 is a bundle of papers 1, each of which are provided at one end with punched holes which together form a passage 2 through which a securing pin 3 is passed. The pin is provided at its lower end in FIG. 2 with a head which abuts underneath the bundle of papers 1. Positioned on the pin on top of the bundle of papers is a locking clip 4.

The pin 3 comprises a cylindrical stem 5 along which collars 6, 8, 9 are arranged in uniform spaced relationship.

In the position shown in FIG. 2 the cylindrical stem portion 7, locked between two collars 8, 9, is partly embraced by a slit ring member 10 which is an integral part of the locking clip. Since the clip is made of an elastically yielding material such as plastic, the ring member 10 is resilient to a certain extent.

The ring member 10 can be said to comprise a cylinder which is cut along a portion of its periphery to form an insertion opening 11 between the legs of the ring member 10. The distance between the ends 12, 13 of the legs is less than the diameter of the stem 5, 7 of the pin so that the stern must be pressed through the opening 11 whilst springing the ends of the legs apart. The stem 5 will thereby snap into the locking position shown in FIG. 2, and be held in this position.

As will be seen from FIG. 2 the axial height of the ring member 10 is slightly less than the length of the stem portion 7 between two adjacent collars 8, 9.

The ring member 10 is made integral with a U-shaped fork 14 and presents a projection at the inside thereof at its inner end. The axial thickness of the U-shaped fork 14 is suitably approximately twice that of the ring member 10.

The legs 15, 16 of the U-shaped fork are substantially parallel or slightly diverging. They may terminate at the position indicated by the dotted line 17 but in the illustrative embodiment they are joined together by a semicircular ring 18. In this way the clip can be made more slender while retaining the desired degree of stiffness.

At their inner ends the inner sides of the legs 15, 16 connect tangentially with a semi-cylindrical surface 19 which extends along the outer edge of the inner end surface 20 of the ring member 10. The diameter of this semi-cylindrical surface is somewhat larger than the external diameter of the collars 6, 8, 9 as will be seen from FIG. 2. It will also be seen from this FIGURE that the inner diameter of the ring member 10 is approximately equal to the diameter of the. stem 5.

In the shown position, the clip 4 is forced by the bundle of papers 1 towards the free end of the pin so that the inner end surface 20 of the ring member 10 will lie against the adjacent end surface of collar 8.

In order to ensure still further that the shown locking position is retained, each of the end portions of the legs of the ring member 10 is extended on its outer side with a shoulder 21 which forms a connection with the legs 15, 16 of the U-shaped fork 14. Each shoulder 21 is provided with an abutment portion 22 adapted to present a stop member for the collar 8 and extending approximately along the outer edge of the end surface 20 of the ring member 10. Accordingly, when the clip 4 is moved to its locking position, the stem portion 7 will snap into the ring member 10 and further the collar 8 will snap over the abutment portions 22.

As will be evident from FIG. 2 the outer end surface 20a of the ring member lies in plane common with the end surface of the U-shaped fork 14. The distance from this end surface 20a to the top of the abutment portions 22 is approximately equal to the length of the stem portion 7 between two adjacent collars 8, 9. If the material from which the clip is made permits a certain degree of compression of the clip, which is the case if the plastic material is relatively soft, this distance from the end surface 20a can be slightly greater than the length of the stern portion 7 betweeen the collars so that collar 8 will slightly compress the abutment portions 22 when snapping past them whereby the abutment portions 22 thus contributes effectively to retain the securing pin in the shown locking position.

To facilitate guiding of the pin to the locking position the shoulders 21 are designed as tapering wedges 23 along the insides of legs 15, 16 to provide a lead-in passage narrowing towards the opening 11.

If the legs 14, are connected together by means of the member 18 as shown in FIG. 2 it is a simple matter to pass the clip down over the pin 3 to the desired position and then move it sideways until the pin adopts the locking position. These two end positions of the pin are indicated in FIG. 1 by the dotted circles 24, 25. Alternatively if the legs 15, 16 of the U-shaped fork are free, that is to say terminate at 17, it is even more simple to mount the clip on the pin. In this instance the clip is simply placed on the bundle of papers adjacent the inserted pin 3 whereupon the clip is pressed against the bundle and simultaneously moved into the locking position on the pin.

As will be understood from the foregoing explanations, the clip according to the invention provides for a locking snap action in two planes at right angles, that is between the ends of the legs of the ring member 10 relative to the stern portion 7 and between the tops of the abutment portions 22 and the end surface 20a relative to adjacent collars 8 and 9. When there is no pressure from the paper bundle 1 against the clip only the locking effect from the ring member 10 Will be operative whereas a further locking effect is obtained from the abutment portions when the bundle presses against the clip to seat the collar 8 on the end surface 20 of the ring member, in which position the abutment portions 22 form stop members for the collar 8. Accordingly, the wedge action of the ring member 10 can be held weaker to facilitate mounting of the clip because the abutment portions 22 form auxiliary locking means which become operative when needed.

What I claim is:

1. A device for holding together a bundle of paper .4 sheets comprising a headed pin to be passed through registering holes in the paper sheets, said pin being provided with a plurality of annular collars which are uniformly spaced along the cylindrical stem portion of the pin and form abutments for a locking clip of plastic material detachably fittable on said pin, characterized in that the locking clip includes a clamping ring member which is part of a cylindrical ring and is adapted to engage partially around the cylindrical stem portion of the pin between two adjacent collars and which has radial end surfaces abutting corresponding end surfaces of the collars, that the distance between the ends of the legs of the clamping ring member is smaller than the diameter of the stem of the pin so that the pin may be snapped through the opening between the ends of the legs upon springing said legs apart, that the clamping ring member forms an internal projection at the inner end of a U- shaped fork, the inner end .of which forms an arcuate cylindrical surface of approximately the same diameter as the external diameter of the collars, that the clamping ring member and the U-shaped fork have a common end surface, that the ends of the legs of the clamping ring are each connected via shoulder members to the inside of the legs of the U-shaped fork, the respective shoulder member being provided with an abutment portion which extends substantially along the outer edge of the legs of the clamping ring member to form a stop member for that collar which is seated on the clamping ring, and that the axial thickness between said common end surface to the top of the abutment portion is approximately equal to the length of a stern portion between two adjacent collars.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mutually opposing sides of the shoulders form a leadin passage narrowing towards the opening between the legs of the clamping ring member.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ends of the legs of the U-shaped fork are joined together and between them form an opening with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the collars on the securing pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,599,526 9/1926 Hatz 402-61 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,755 9/ 1927 Australia. 727,608 3 1932 France. 944,178 10/1948 France.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner 

10. WHEN THE PIN 3 IS INSERTED THROUGH REGISTERING HOLES IN A BUNDLE OF PAPER SHEETS 1, THE PRESSURE FROM THE BUNDLE AGAINST THE CLIP WILL HOLD THE COLLAR 8 AGAINST THE END SURFACE 20 OF THE RING 10 AND IN THIS POSITION THE ABUTMENT PORTIONS 22 WILL FORM AUXILIARY STOP MEANS FOR RETAINING THE CLIP IN LOCKING POSITION. 